


Vulgar

by black_catt



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Declarations Of Love, Dystopia, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, End of the World, Enemies to Friends, Extinction, F/M, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Recovery Bucky Barnes, Rough Sex, Slow Build, Time Travel, True Love, Wakanda (Marvel), loki is not a rapist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2020-05-29 14:49:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19402528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_catt/pseuds/black_catt
Summary: Loki is locked up in Asgard's dungeons by Odin for the rest of his days - or at least for a few of them - until the Dark Elves march over Asgard looking for the Aether and end up killing his mother. Thor comes asking for his help to save Jane, but before he can even consider benefiting from his brother's plan to break him out, Loki has a powerful encounter with the future that changes his mind, his path, and eventually changes his death. Not even the Ragnarok will be the same after Loki steps out of time.





	1. SoliLoki

**Author's Note:**

> The story starts right at the beginning of the movie "Thor" Dark World" and the first paragraphs up until the dialogue describe scenes from that movie.

**After having his ostensive attempt to take Earth down averted by the Avengers, Loki was brought back to Asgard by Thor and promptly locked up in his own home palace's dungeons.  
** **But the terrifying thought of "spending the rest of his days in the dungeon" - as Odin had cast it - only lasted a few hours before Loki heard some rousing and saw Kurse breaking prisoners away.  
** **Though they didn't let him go, that scenery gave him dark hopes that something, somewhere, was bound to happen and he would soon be free again.**

**Sadly, something did happen.**

**Later that day a sentinel came to let him know his mother, Frigga, had been killed by Malekith.  
His** **growing desire to take revenge on his own family took a severe hit.**

**And now, he would also spend the rest of his days imprisoned by the thought that the last thing he had ever said to his mother was that he was not her son.**

**The scarce furniture was broken by his rage wave.**

**By nightfall, Loki was sitting on the floor, wallowing in berries and blood, when suddenly Thor turned up to offer him a deal: Loki's help in getting Jane (and consequently the Aether) out of Asgard in return for getting revenge on their mother's death. And then,** **it was back to the cell again.**

**Upon Loki's agreement, Thor would come back for him first thing in the morning.**

**He had to wonder if all of that was even real.  
** **Thor desperately in need of his help?  
** **Dark Elves? Aether? And, above all, Jane in Asgard?**

**At least now he had only one night to endure. It was nothing compared to the rest of his life.**

**But what Loki didn't know was that he had been under the influence of the Mind Stone inside his scepter while trying to tear the New York apart.**

**And now that he had lost everything there was some severe withdrawal taking over his mind, unbeknownst to him.**

**The growing paranoia even made him fear Thor might come to his senses overnight and give up on the whole plan.  
This and other thoughts would come to him as he sat on the floor leaning on the wall.**

**Suddenly, sometime in the middle of that night, he heard a whispered voice coming from the opposite cell behind the wall.**

VOICE

Has Thor always been so vulgar?

LOKI

Excuse me?

VOICE

It was quite interesting watching you two up close...

LOKI

Yes, well... I wouldn't get caught up in my brother's self-interest if I were you.

VOICE

Oh, but I've always rooted for you...

LOKI

Leave me be.

**Loki quickly lost interest in their fleeting conversation.**

**But something the voice had said resonated.  
** **Almost ten minutes passed before he spoke again.**

LOKI

Why vulgar?

VOICE

I'm sorry?

LOKI

Why is my brother _vulgar_ and not, I don't know, _crass_ or... _blatant_.

VOICE

What does it matter?

LOKI

The word _vulgar_ is curious...

VOICE

Why?

LOKI

Because it's usually applied to me.

VOICE

Oh, but as I said, I root for you.

LOKI

So you've said... You must not be from around here then.

VOICE

No... but your reputation precedes you.

LOKI

I see.  
So what happens if I conquer your homeland?  
Or destroy it to make an alliance with your neighbors?  
Will you root for me then? 

VOICE (ironically)

Well... let's say I've seen you try and fail. I'm from Midgard.

**Loki resented the ironic tone.**

LOKI

You're from precious Earth...  
Just my luck.

**5 minutes passed before they spoke again.**

LOKI

So why _vulgar_?

VOICE

I could have said anything, really.

LOKI

So why _vulgar_ then?

VOICE

Well... Thor clearly doesn't want to be the King of Asgard.

LOKI 

Clearly.

VOICE

Instead, he wants your father to shift his approval, his commandment even, toward his midgardian life.  
And... even if _they_ do come up with an agreement, you _still_ won't be king.

LOKI (irritated)

Indeed...

VOICE

So why do you wish to rule awful old Earth, anyway?

LOKI

To make my brother _feel_ like he can't have what he wants either.

VOICE

So you can both be miserable together?

LOKI

Your midgardian mind is too limited to grasp how gods go about life.

VOICE

Do you even know what Earth is like?

LOKI

They are all the same everywhere.  
Power.  
Leadership.  
Religion.

VOICE

Those might be universal ambitions.. but they are not Earth's obsessions.

LOKI

And what would that be?  
 _Love_?  
Like what my brother claims to have found?

VOICE

We obsess over things that... represent these abstract ambitions.  
Like power is the ambition, war is the obsession.  
Religion is the ambition, control is the obsession.  
Love is the ambition, sex is the obsession.

LOKI

_Earthly_ love is demeaning.  
It's extremely...

VOICE

Vulgar?

LOKI

Yes!

VOICE

So your brother gave up the asgardian throne for earthly love.  
He gave up what you can't have for something you don't value.

**Loki felt like he'd given out too much already. Again.**

**It was the same feeling he had on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier not a week before, when Natasha Romanoff gracefully pulled his secret plans for the Hulk right out of him.**

**Loki was growing dizzier by the minute as a side effect from the Mind Stone's absence.**

VOICE

There it is...

LOKI

There what is?

VOICE

Keep her in mind, will you?  
It could make this a lot easier.

LOKI

Easier for what exactly?

VOICE

This.

**Loki felt like he was about to faint.  
Everything went dark.**

**He woke up like he had been comfortably sleeping for hours.  
** **The bed felt as familiar and warm as our own beds do.  
** **Natasha was sleeping beside him.**


	2. Did I have the dream or did the dream have me?

**Loki woke up under a black duvet.  
** **And he was fondly snuggling his recently acquired nemesis Natasha Romanoff.**

 **His hair was shorter and his face was sporting a beard shadow.  
** **Her hair was red, long, highlighted and only the tips were blonde.  
** **They both looked somewhat older.**

**She spoke in a breaky and faint voice.**

NATASHA

Are you up yet...?

LOKI

I don't know...

**Loki held Natasha tighter and almost fell back to sleep.  
** **His warmth on her neck made her smile.  
** **She took his hand closer to her chest and hugged his arm around her.**

NATASHA (joking)

Help, I can't breathe...

**Loki rearranged the duvet and spooned her even tighter. His morning erection got squeezed between their bodies.  
** **Natasha felt the warmth of his bare-chested body on her back through her nightshirt.**

**She swayed her hips back, grinding against his crotch.**

**Natasha felt extremely familiar to him.**

LOKI

Aren't you sore from yesterday?

NATASHA (ironically)

Are you?

**Loki started to slide his hand up and down her body, roughly.  
** **Natasha took his hand and forced it down on her hips, while she ground back even harder against him.**

LOKI

How dare you dare the god of mischief...

NATASHA (mockingly)

Get the lube, god of mischief.

LOKI

Oh, it's like that then...

NATASHA

No, not like _that_.  
I just don't wanna worry about getting any sorer than I already am.

**Loki turned halfway around to reach the drawer by his side of the bed, where he picked up the lube.**

NATASHA (laughing)

Give me that already.

LOKI (smiling mischievously)

Well, don't hold back on your self-destructive need for my cock on my account.

**Loki handed her the lube and promptly took his pants off.  
** **She raised her arms so he could take her nightshirt off as well.  
** **The heat between their bodies raised unbearably, so they kicked the duvet off the bed.**

**She got a good deal of lube in her fingers, enough to cause him to laugh.**

NATASHA

Yeah... I'm barely awake.

**There was even a second helping of lube, which she applied directly to his sprang member behind her and stroke it according to the movement of her hips.**   
**The cold contact of her hand quickly became warm and send shivers through his body again.**

NATASHA

This feels very nice... 

LOKI

It really does...

NATASHA

I haven't done it with lube like this, have I?

LOKI (breathing heavily)

You definitely should...

**She turned halfway around, facing him, and switched to her dominant hand.**

NATASHA

Ok, but I won't finish.  
You still have to fuck me.

LOKI (smiling)

You are such a bitch...

**She pressed her body against his, tangled her legs on his and brushed her lips against his.**

NATASHA (flirty)

You're damn right, psycho.

**She jerked him off a little faster and they kissed intensely.**   
**Loki felt completely toyed with in the best possible way.**   
**He laid on his back and sank his head back on the pillow.**

LOKI (smirking)

You shouldn't do that for much longer if you wanna stick to your original plan...

NATASHA

Let's do it then.

LOKI

How do you want me? 

**Natasha turned her back to him and resumed the snuggly position.  
Loki was growing thirsty for her commands.**

NATASHA

It's just a quickie.

LOKI

It never is...

NATASHA

I mean it, it's just in and out.

**He held her hips close to his thrusts and pushed her shoulders forward, bending her over.  
** **His fingers meandered through her hair and pulled it, jerking her head back.  
** **She gasped.**

LOKI

So you don't want _this_ then?

**Who was she kidding? Of course she wanted it.  
** **But it could still be a quickie if he pulled her hair.**

**Except she did want more. More strength, more feeling, more depth.**

**So she pulled a fight move on him by passing her top leg over his top leg.  
Now they were perfectly entangled like two puzzle pieces scissoring.**

**The overflow of senses shot their minds out of their bodies, but Loki had to come back and control his own coming.  
He wanted Natasha to get as much as she seemed to need so desperately. **

**He traced her bottom lip with the tip of his fingers and inserted his index and middle finger inside her mouth.  
They were well received by her tongue.**

**The view of pushing his fingers inside and out of her mouth and her delirious reaction drove him crazy.**

LOKI

I'm not gonna...

NATASHA

Hold on, slow down...

**Natasha looked right into his eyes and took her own fingers to his mouth. And got them wet enough to rub her clit.  
** **It was deliciously suffocating to delay himself while he watched her breathing heavier, moaning louder and growing hotter.**

**Loki felt like he knew Natasha inside out.**

**She took his hand from her mouth and pressed it against her chest.**

NATASHA

Do it! I'm gonna come...

**He knew Natasha liked having her upper body pinned to the bed when she came.  
** **So Loki held her down as hard as he could and thrust his cock inside her with all his might, which brought her to a _very_ long orgasm.**

**From the glimpses Natasha could catch while going over, she saw him looking at her like a maniac, like he was killing her and enjoying it.  
**

NATASHA (catching her breath)

That was...

LOKI

I don't know how you do it for so long.

NATASHA

It's one of the privileges of the female body.

**They began the process of detangling legs, accessing sore muscles and cuddling.**

NATASHA

How about you?

LOKI

I need a minute...

NATASHA (pointing to herself)

Too bossy?

LOKI

Terribly.

NATASHA (gloating)

Yeah, well...

**They kissed.**

NATASHA

Well...?

LOKI

Yeah...

NATASHA

Wanna boss _me_ around a little bit or are you good?

LOKI

I'm wondering if I have it in me.

**Natasha got on all fours on top of him, quick like a cat.  
Without taking her eyes off his, her face slowly approached his still very hard cock.**

NATASHA

Hmm... you're wondering.

**She licked it once.**

LOKI

I almost came twice fucking you now...  
I'm not going to last one whole minute, so...  
Make it a good one.

**Natasha knew that meant doing without the teasing and the visuals and literally sucking the spunk right out of it.  
** **So down on him she went.**

**And there it was, Loki's maniac look again. She loved to observe him.**   
**It was like he was inspired enough to take on the world again.**

**Soon, his muscles clenched and he came on her mouth.  
Sweet and bitter.  
After swallowing it, she cuddled again and caressed his chest while he came back to his senses.**

LOKI (smirking)

I fucking love you so much...

NATASHA

I guess that makes it our Sunday morning.

LOKI

We can claim victory on this one.

NATASHA

You know... that _look_ on your face when you are getting there...

LOKI

The one you say it feels like I want to kill you.

NATASHA

Today it occurred to me... I think I know why it feels like that.  
It reminds me of when we met.

LOKI

When I was an incarcerated sadistic prick and you played me?

NATASHA

Yes.

LOKI

Good times.

NATASHA

But I like that look now.

LOKI

Of course you do, I'm imprisoned on the ground this time.

NATASHA

I'm serious.  
Let me ask you this: how do _you_ feel about when we met?

LOKI

You want me to trespass the wall of deep confusion and guilt for my past behavior and focus exclusively on our meeting, right?

NATASHA

Right.

LOKI

Well, ok. When I climb over that wall... at first you made me quite angry.  
Of course, we were all angrier than we could account for that day.  
But if I also go further than the Mind Stone's influence, I would have to say you... surprised me.  
I didn't know I could be manipulated back then. And by a human, of all living things.  
I was only thinking about defeating my brother then...  


NATASHA

Oh, Loki...  
I shouldn't have brought this up, I'm sorry.

LOKI

No, no, it's ok. It's a good day today, actually.  
Besides, anything you love in me _now_ that you can associate with the _old_ me makes me feel nothing but relieved, really.  
Even if it is me looking like I want to kill you.

NATASHA

I mean, against all odds, you're still _you_.  
The way you feel extreme pleasure is the same, whether you're destroying Earth or getting a blowjob.

LOKI

And what was the look on my face the second time we met?

NATASHA

You mean on _Vormir_?

LOKI

Yes.

NATASHA

We didn't really meet.

LOKI

I suppose not.

NATASHA (smilling)

I know I've said this... but meeting you on another planet, after traveling back on time, was the _cherry on top_ those 5 years after the blip.

LOKI (laughing)

It must have been exasperating.

NATASHA (laughing)

I thought everything had gone wrong and... I just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.  
For a _long_ time.

LOKI (laughing)

And now, look at us.

**Having said that, he closed his eyes.**   
**Natasha climbed on top of him.  
They kissed briefly and she got off the bed.**

NATASHA

We should get up.

LOKI

Already?

**Natasha opened the window curtain and the light hurt Loki's eyes.**   
**He could see some high construction silhouettes nearby and a huge dome covering the sky, but above it everything was foggy and gray.**

**But the daylight was so bright he got dizzy and covered his eyes.**

NATASHA

Yes, already.  
There isn't much to do today, but you have to meet Bucky in a few hours.  
Vision and Wanda will get here first thing in the morning.

LOKI

What...?

NATASHA

Shuri said it was the only time T'Challa could have them flown in, something about the weather.  
She made it very clear: _first thing in the morning._

**Suddenly everything went dark.**

**Loki woke up in his cell in Asgard with an angry Thor shouting at him in whispers.**

THOR

Brother, how are you not ready?  
I said _first thing in the morning!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm 98% sure my infinity stones/time travel math checks out throughout all the chapters, so bear with me and lets hope for the best :D


	3. Inevitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki wakes up from his vision and things fall back to normal.  
> With his help, Thor goes about his plan to save both Jane and Asgard.  
> But another glimpse is all it takes for Loki to change lanes in the vast road of timelines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter recreates and scrambles some of the events from Thor: Dark World and Avengers: Infinity War, so it will be super helpful if you're familiar with them :)

**Loki looked at Thor with a mix of desperation and relief.**   
**What had just happened? How did he know Natasha so deeply?  
Was he there or was he not?**

  
**Loki could have sworn all of that had happened for real, like a memory**

**But Thor didn't seem to notice how disoriented his brother was. He just grabbed Loki by the arm and set his plan in motion.**   
**With help from Sif, Fandral, and Volstagg, they took Jane to Svartalfheim and drew Malekith away from Asgard, just like they were supposed to.**

**Everyone Loki came across during the breakaway threatened to kill him if he betrayed Thor.**   
**Even the plan to destroy the Aether was based on how likely it was for Malekith to believe he had just betrayed his own brother and cut off his hand.**   
**Thor himself knew that all he could do in a time of desperation was hope for the best. Because after all, his plan was improvised and his brother was unreliable.**

**But Loki pulled through and managed to fool Malekith into removing the Aether from Jane. Then Thor used his concealed hand to summon Mjolnir and destroy it.**   
**Or so they thought.**

**While Loki found himself protecting Jane with his own body for the sake of his own brother, something hit him - a feeling.  
Jane wouldn't take her eyes off Thor, and Loki observed closely.  
The love between them was palpable.**

**It lasted seconds, but it was enough to bring him into finally dealing with what he had seen, or lived or... predicted the night before.**   
**Was that how Thor felt about Jane? And was that why he was trying so hard to protect her?**

**Suddenly, the shattered Aether flowed back into Malekith, and a battle broke out.**   
**Loki got sucked into a black-hole grenade but Thor saved him.**   
**And right after that, he would have to save Thor.**

**But the thing with Loki was that he wasn't simply saving Thor from Kurse beating him up, he was also enabling his own way out - as he usually did.**   
**And if he could do it in a heroic way and never be accused of betrayal, why not?**

**Loki killed Kurse.**   
**But his trick was no minor feat.**

**Kurse didn't die from the sword Loki drove through him, because there was no real sword, just an illusion.**   
**But the perceived deadly imagery alone was enough to cause a person to virtually die.**

**So when Kurse returned the favor and pulled Loki through the sword with him, Loki didn't die, but that required a strong mind that could deflect the belief of death, which was never a problem to the God of Mischief.**

**Except, when the virtual sword cut through Loki, he was ravished by another mind travel.**

**It was a cave on top of a mountain.**   
**And Red Skull was looking right at him.**

RED SKULL

Loki, son of Laufey.

LOKI

Who are you?

RED SKULL

I am the keeper of the Soul Stone.

LOKI

How do you know who my progenitor is?

RED SKULL

I must advise you not to waste time with questions that have unfathomable and also unimportant answers.

LOKI

Perfect...  
And where am I? If I may ask _that_.

RED SKULL

This is Vormir.

LOKI (surprised)

Vormir? Never heard of it.  
And you don't happen to know _why_ I'm here, do you?

RED SKULL

Perhaps you are here to end a fostering dilemma.  
But you're too early, for it is yet to be stemmed.

LOKI

What precisely is this place?

RED SKULL

The answer you now seek will lie beyond the ledge, eventually.

**Red Skull led him to an open plateau with two tall towers and a great abyss.**   
**It was uninhabited and uneventful.**   
**Loki cautiously approached the ledge while his eyes traced the foggy valley down.**

**When he was about to see directly bellow from the edge a bad feeling of vertigo hurt his mind.**

**He woke up, again, with Thor shaking him desperately after having set the black hole grenade that swallowed up Kurse for good.**

THOR

No, no, no...  
Ah, you fool, you didn't listen!

LOKI

I know...  
I'm a fool, I'm a fool.

THOR

Stay with me, ok?

LOKI

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

THOR

Shhh...  
It's alright.  
I'll tell father what you did here today.

LOKI (drawing his last breath)

I didn't do it for him...

THOR

No!

**Yes, Loki had died.  
At least through Thor's eyes. **

**So the God of Thunder gathered all his strength and followed Malekith to Earth in order to stop him.**

**Between coming back from the dizzy ledge and having Thor mourn him with such fraternity, it took some time for Loki to convince himself he wasn't really dead.**   
**By then he was alone in Svartalfheim's battleground, facing his own dilemma.**

**Would he follow an instigating desire and use his newfound freedom to sneak back into Asgard and fulfill his ruling destiny?**   
**Or would he try to piece together this well-lived life he'd never lived?**


	4. Whatever it takes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avenger's fate diverges once more after Loki's side quest begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Infinity War: Endgame familiarity is highly recommended for this one ;)  
> It's a quick chapter, like the last one, just to put things on track.

**Loki traveled relentlessly through space looking for Vormir, a place not many travelers had heard about.**

**Upon arrival, much to his surprise, t** **here was another ship landed in the valley.  
 _That's odd -_ he suspected.**

**He walked up the mountain and met with Red Skull again.**

RED SKULL

Welcome back, Loki, son of Laufey.  
Just in time.

LOKI

So we did meet before.  
It wasn't an... illusion.

RED SKULL

Everything we see is an illusion.

LOKI

I'll say...  
There's someone else in here, isn't there?

RED SKULL

The only ones here now or at any other time are the seekers of the Soul Stone.

LOKI

I'm not here for a Soul Stone.  
Unless... you don't mean... one of the Infinity Stones?

RED SKULL

Precisely.  
No one finds Vormir unless they are seeking the Soul Stone.

LOKI

I'm afraid not.

RED SKULL

Eventually, you'll learn the Soul Stone is what you truly seek.  
Choose to follow me and I'll be your guide.

**Red Skull quietly led him to the peak of the mountain.**   
**Loki could not have prepared for what was about to happen and his part in it.**

**Natasha was there.  
Laying his eyes on her settled: that was someone he had spent a lot of time with.**

**And Clint Barton was there as well, his former hypnotized servant from the Earth attack days.**   
**Thinking back to those days, Loki couldn't find any good reason to make his presence known to his sworn enemy yet, so he just watched.**

**Natasha and Clint were standing there facing each other, head to head, with their eyes closed, holding hands.  
They were devastatingly sad. **

NATASHA

Whatever it takes.

CLINT

Whatever it takes.

NATASHA

If we don't get that stone, billions of people stay dead.

CLINT

Then I guess we both know who it's gotta be.

NATASHA

I guess we do...

CLINT

I'm starting to think we mean different people here, Natasha.

**Suddenly, Clint pinned Natasha to the ground with one move.**

CLINT

Tell my family I love them.

**Natasha flipped him over and tasered him.**

NATASHA

You tell them yourself.

**She ran as fast as she could to the ledge while Clint agonized.**   
**But he got back up just in time to shoot an exploding arrow in Natasha's way, causing her to fall flat on the ground.**

**Clint ran pass Natasha, giving her one last look goodbye, and leaped into the abyss.**

**Natasha fired a climbing rope at Clint and hooked it on the ground, causing him to swing back against the cliff.**   
**But before she could get up and sacrifice herself, something unimaginable flashed before her eyes.**

**Loki.**

**He leaped into the abyss before she could get up.**

**To prevent Clint from reacting in a way that could compromise his action, Loki visually transformed into Natasha mid-air, so all the Hawk could see was his friend falling and crashing dead into the ground.**

**Clint was in shock and took his time to climb back.  
The plateau was empty.**   
**But then he heard someone calling out his name from far down the canyon, over and over.**

**Natasha had woken up in a pond with the Soul Stone in her hand.**   
**She couldn't understand what had happened and where she was.  
She called out for Clint, afraid something might have happened to him.**

**While he found his way down to her, Natasha tried to figure out what had gone wrong.**   
**Something _must_ have gone wrong if it was indeed Loki up there.**

**But there she was.**   
**There was Clint.**   
**And there was the Soul Stone.**

**So she decided not to say anything about Loki until it made some sense.**

**They went back to the future and the stones were gathered in the new gauntlet made by Tony Stark.**   
**The Hulk snapped every being back into existence, but 2014 Thanos was already in 2023 to fulfill his destiny one more time.**   
**And from thereon the Infinity War proceeded almost in the exact the same way it always had in Dr. Strange's winning hypothesis.**

**_Almost_.**

**Thanos was defeated because of Tony Stark's final blip against him and his army, which cost him his own death too.**   
**But right after Iron Man's demise, Clint heard Natasha calling out.**

**Soon, some of the Avengers gathered around her to find that Dr. Strange himself had also passed while trying to protect Natasha from the incoming wave from the broken dam.**

**Another sad casualty from the Infinity War.**


	5. Recognitive Calibration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Natasha come face to face again but his unwilling tampering with time might have tampered with his own timing.

**Loki woke up.**

**He was jolted awake from the sensation of falling off the Bifrost in a dream.**

**The place was well lit and reminded him of Asgard's dungeons.**   
**He couldn't move, even blinking was tremendously difficult. Terror crept up his thoughts.**

**What was the last thing he remembered?**

**Falling off the Bifrost.  
But that was a long time ago.**

**Dying in Svartalfheim.**   
**No, wait, he didn't.**

**Dying in space, strangled by Thanos.**   
**But he had never met Thanos in person.**

**Dying on Vormir, falling off a cliff.**   
**Maybe.**

**It took Loki a few hours to muster the coordination needed to do as much as sit up. He had an IV dripping into his arm.**

**From looking around he could gather that he was enclosed in some sort of glass room in the middle of a larger room, but the surroundings were dark.**   
**Little by little his hearing came to and he noticed some sort of alarm going off.**

**Suddenly the lights around his room were turned on and the alarm was turned off.**   
**The brightness hurt his eyes, but he could make out that someone was starring directly at him.**   
**It was a woman, who looked like she had just seen a ghost.**

WOMAN

It worked.

**She touched a small device in her ear and spoke again.**

WOMAN

It was not a... ahh... false alarm.  
You should get here before he does.

**Loki finally focused.**

WOMAN (gently waving)

Hello?

**Loki could only greet back by raising an eyebrow.**

WOMAN (gesticulating)

Can you... hear me?

**Loki nodded positively.**

WOMAN

How are you feeling?  
I mean... do you feel ok?

LOKI (whispering)

Dry...

WOMAN (startled)

Oh! Of course.

**She got him a paper cup of water and, to his surprise, she walked right into his cage through the glass wall.**   
**Turns out there were no walls at all.  
Somehow, he expected to be incarcerated as usual.**

**But that didn't keep the woman from staring at him like a lab experiment, almost disbelieving her own eyes.**

**She was helping Loki drink the water when someone walked in.**

WOMAN

Don't take too much, I'm not sure how...

NATASHA

Shuri, what are you doing in there??

SHURI

The first thing he said was _dry_ , obviously. The man has never had anything to drink.

NATASHA

He can be dangerous.

SHURI

He can still be if I did everything right but right now he can't even hold the paper cup.

NATASHA

Let me check him out.

**Shuri took the paper cup and stepped back.  
** **Natasha kneeled in front of him and spoke calmly.  
Loki felt his heart race...  
**

NATASHA

Loki, do you know who I am?

SHURI (at Loki)

Do you know who _you_ are?

NATASHA

Shuri.

SHURI

What? Let's start at the beginning.

NATASHA

Maybe you're right.  
Loki, can you understand us?

LOKI (whispering)

Yes...

NATASHA

I know you must be confused and have a lot of questions, but first tell me if you know who I am.

LOKI (whispering)

Natasha.

NATASHA

Ok.  
Loki, pay attention. Tell me if...

SHURI

Nat, wait! Not now.

NATASHA

I might not get another chance so soon

SHURI

It's not a good idea.

NATASHA

Loki, listen.  
Have you ever been on a planet called _Vormir_?

LOKI (whispering)

Yes...

**_... and I have just seen you there_ \- he elaborated on his mind.**

NATASHA (surprised)

Why? What were you doing?

LOKI (whispering)

I was saving you...

NATASHA

Saving _me_?  
Why??

LOKI (whispering)

Because I loved you.

**... and Loki was _out!_**

**Natasha knocked him out cold.**   
**Shuri gasped in shock.**

SHURI

NATASHA, WHAT THE FUCK??

NATASHA

He'll live.

SHURI

We don't know that!  
What if you broke him?  
What did he say? I couldn't understand!

NATASHA

Shuri, I just can't... I _have_ to know.  
What if he messed things up and it could have been different?

SHURI

I know you're the only one still around who knows him, so I'll give you that one.  
He probably deserved it.  
But what did he say?

NATASHA

He's fine, he's mocking.  
It worked better than you think.

**Over the years, Natasha had considered a lot of reasons for Loki's presence on Vormir that day - including the possibility that he was never there.**

**Back in 2023, Nebula couldn't understand why Thanos had to sacrifice Gamora to get the Soul Stone but both Natasha and Clint managed to return safely with it.  
But Natasha never mentioned to her or anyone else that there might have been someone else in there with them.**

**It wasn't until Vision's resurgence that she finally talked about it.**

**Cutting it short, one day he just appeared in Wakanda with the Soul Stone clamming it contained a trapped soul.  
** **He said Shuri was the only one he trusted to build a device similar to Dr. Cho's synthetic tissue printer, since** **she nearly succeeded in removing his Mind Stone while keeping him intact.**

 **But there was a problem.**  
 **That project was by no means in T'Challa's post-war priorities.**  
 **So Natasha finally told Wakand's council about the possibility of someone having been there.**  
 **But only Shuri and Bucky knew Loki was her best guess.  
  
** **Natasha had spent years obsessively thinking that there could have been another way to fit the events so that neither Strange or Stark ended up dead.** **  
Maybe they could've even kept 2014 Thanos and his army out of 2023.**

**So the Wakanda King was persuaded.**   
**Shuri worked on what could only be described at the time as a resurrection printer.  
**

**And after a few months, the alarm sounded.**


	6. Unburdened of Glorious Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will be left of Loki after he's stripped of the very consequences his presence causes?

**As Loki got knocked out, many deaths went through his mind like a roulette.  
His own deaths.**

**Killed by Thanos on Jotunheim.**  
 **Killed by Dr. Strange on Titan.**  
 **Killed by Hela on Asgard.** **  
****People he'd never actually met.**

**Then the last one: shot by Natasha up close.**

**He woke up abruptly.**

NATASHA

He's coming back.

SHURI

Here we go...

BUCKY

Can he talk already?

SHURI (looking at Natasha)

Not after that, probably not.

NATASHA

Trust me, we're better off.

BUCKY

He's looking at us.  
Does he know who we are?

SHURI (nodding at Natasha)

He certainly knows who she is.

BUCKY

Loki?

**Loki was _very_ confused about Natasha having knocked him out.  
He wanted to say something clever that would give him some sort of edge, as was his nature, but Shuri slayed his train of thought.**

SHURI (at Natasha)

Is Loki short for something?  
I hate nicknames.

NATASHA (ironically)

Yeah, we know that, _James_.

SHURI

An alien named _Loki_...

BUCKY

Is he though? An alien?

SHURI

Why wouldn't he be?

BUCKY

I never thought of _Thor_ as an alien.

**Loki instantly turned to Bucky when the name of _Thor_ was spoken, startling everyone.**

LOKI (hoarse)

Where... is he?

**Thor might not be there for his awakening but he was certain to show up for his eventual arrest, Loki thought.**

NATASHA

Were you looking for him?

LOKI

Is he alive?

NATASHA

Yes.

SHURI

But we don't know where exactly.

LOKI

How do you know he's alive then?

NATASHA

He is with some... _people._  
We know some people in... space.  
They would let us know if anything happened to him.

BUCKY (whispering to Shuri)

Those are definitely _not_ people _..._

SHURI (whispering to Bucky)

One is.  
Kind of.

NATASHA

Were you looking for him?

LOKI

No.

NATASHA

Where were you before?

BUCKY (disapproving)

Nat.

SHURI

 _When_... were you before?

LOKI (confused)

When am I now?

NATASHA

Alright. Listen.  
You, we, are on Earth's 2028.  
The last time I saw you, you were being taken back to Asgard by Thor, about 15 years ago, when you blew up a hole in the sky for the Chitauri to invade New York.

**The _last_ time? That couldn't be right. **

NATASHA

Unless you were...

BUCKY

Alright, that's enough...

NATASHA

Wait, we agreed I could ask.

BUCKY

Then _ask_.

NATASHA

Maybe for you, a short time after that, we might have met again.  
On a place called Vormir?  
But that was only 5 years ago for me and... around 15 for you.

SHURI

Think in _Earth_ years.

**Loki faintly smiled as she mentioned Vormir... but her time span revelation caught him by surprise.**

**He felt somewhat defeated as the mastermind he considered himself to be, the math simply wasn't adding up.**

**Earthlings weren't capable of...**

LOKI (at Natasha)

You misdirected _time_?

SHURI

We call it _time travel_ here.

BUCKY

Ok, that's it. Seriously.  
It has been asked, let me do my job now.

**Natasha got up and headed out. Shuri followed her.**

**Then Bucky took Shuri's seat in front of Loki.**

BUCKY

Loki, my name is James Barnes.

**Bucky reached out for a friendly handshake and Loki awkwardly obliged.**

**_This man must not know me_ \- Loki thought - _or he would not greet me like this._**

BUCKY

The extent of my knowledge of you goes as far as Natasha, your brother, and some other Avengers told me.

_**He might know a little then.** _

BUCKY

But that doesn't matter now.  
You are not considered a threat in here unless you demonstrate otherwise.  
Do you understand?

**Loki nodded positively.**

BUCKY

I'm gonna give you a few basic informations.

LOKI

I would appreciate.

BUCKY

As Natasha said, you are on Earth and it is the year 2028.  
This is a place called Wakanda, in the continent of Africa.  
Did you know you were here?

LOKI (pretentiously)

I did not, James.

BUCKY

The woman you met is called Shuri.  
She runs Wakanda's scientific division and is also the internationally recognized ruler for Wakanda.  
But on the inside things are different.  
Besides Shuri, the people here also consider a man named T'Challa as their King.  
He is Shuri's brother and a former Avenger.  
But since the Avengers were banned, Wakanda is the only country that offered them exile.  
It's the only place T'Challa, Natasha, myself and a few others can live freely in.

LOKI (smirking)

The Avengers were _banned_?

**He couldn't help feeling good about it, he'd always hated the whole Avengers concept.**

BUCKY

We'll get there.

LOKI

I'm sure.

**Loki grew terribly uncomfortable and slightly angry about the unbalanced scale of information he found himself in.**

BUCKY

I'm in charge of obtaining cooperation from... _outcasts_ , preferably by rehabilitating them.  
It's a way of repaying for my own rehabilitation and exile some time ago.

LOKI

You were an _outcast_?  
Could have fooled me as new Captain America...

BUCKY (sighing) 

Yes, well... I'm not.

LOKI

So what am I being held here for?

BUCKY

You're not.

LOKI (getting up)

Oh, in that case, I might politely decline this _rehabilitation_.

BUCKY

However...

**Loki felt dizzy and sat back, weighted down by Bucky's " _however_ ". **

LOKI

Let me guess...  
I'm not considered a threat because you obviously have me controlled under some substance.  
So technically I'm not _actually_ imprisoned.

BUCKY (looking down)

Loki...

**Bucky measured his next words carefully.  
He looked very serious in a " _you don't know what I know_ " way.**

BUCKY

That is not the case at all.  
In fact...

**Bucky stood up and offered his vibranium hand to help Loki up.**   
**That's when he noticed Bucky had an impressive metal prostate arm.**

**Something about the lack of fear and concern in Bucky started to bother Loki.**   
**He was used to always having people uneasy around him - and enjoyed it.**

**He hesitantly took Bucky's hand and stood up.**

BUCKY

Let's take a look around.

**He helped Loki take a few steps like they were war buddies. They stopped in front of a dark glass.**   
**Bucky gesticulated something and it cleared, turning into a window.**

**Wakanda by night looked like any planet but Earth.**

BUCKY (pointing at the door)

See? Outside that door, there's a corridor where you can reach that ramp that leads right onto the street.  
No gates, no locks.  
While recovering you will be here unsupervised. And then you can just leave.  
Or you can stay here and... _rehabilitate_.

LOKI

And couldn't I leave _now_ if I found the means?

BUCKY

There's a condition.

LOKI

There it is...

BUCKY

Think of this as a _strong_ request: you must listen to what I have to say.

LOKI

And after you fill me in...

BUCKY

Trust me. You'll stay.


	7. Outside Of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's learns through Bucky that he has missed a quite a lot lately, more than he could have lived otherwise.

LOKI

In that case, I also have a condition then.

BUCKY

And what would that be?

LOKI

I wanna hear it from the Black Widow.

BUCKY

Absolutely not.  
Not right now anyway.  
And we're not really negotiating.

LOKI

Clearly there's something you want from me.

BUCKY

It's what I don't want: trouble.

LOKI

Come on, James.  
You wouldn't have brought me here for nothing.

BUCKY

Loki... sit down, will you?

LOKI

I'm starting to get the feeling that you...

BUCKY

Loki, you're HUMAN.

**Loki was hit by the words before they even made sense.**   
**His brain echoed "you're HUMAN' a few times and finally brought back a meaning.**   
**But his defensive wall was strong and tried to buy him some time with a smirky remark.**

LOKI (laughing nervously)

Well, I... I've been called many things, but _that_...

**Sadly for Loki, Bucky remained in silence, dead serious.**

**The first thing Loki did was check his hands, as one would. But they didn't give anything away.**

**Bucky sat down and gestured he should sit down too**   
**Loki finally obliged.**

**The shock brought back memories of finding out he was Laufey's son and not Odin's, as it was the only other time he felt that shocked.**   
**His mind tried to run multiple scenarios in which Bucky would be lying.  
**

BUCKY

May I?

**Loki sat back with his arms crossed.**

BUCKY

Well, here we go...  
You weren't _brought_ here, you were created... recreated here.  
Roughly speaking, you were _printed_ into life.

LOKI (frowning)

PRINTED?

BUCKY

We have a... machine that can create human bodies.

LOKI (perplex)

But how could it create _me_?

BUCKY

You, as in _you_ -you, not your former body, were _in_ the soul stone.  
In...side it, we believe.

**Loki remembered Vormir and the Red Skull.  
Bucky noticed the look on his face indicated something ringed a bell.**

BUCKY

You know what I'm talking about.

LOKI (with a hint of cooperation)

I might. Go on.

BUCKY

Well, the reason we knew you were in there was Vision.

LOKI

What vision?

BUCKY

It's not a _what_ , it's a _who_.

LOKI

And _who_ is this person?

BUCKY

It's hard to explain him Earth-wise, let alone to you...

LOKI

Try me.

BUCKY

What you have to understand about him now is that he's a sentient, highly advanced, computer code, also printed out more or less like you were.  
And all of it was built around the Mind Stone.

LOKI

The Mind Stone?

BUCKY

Yeah.

LOKI

And I was inside the Soul Stone?  
Well, you clearly know your way around the Infinity Stones, so we can skip the formalities.  
The Mind and Soul Stone, didn't end up being close to each other, did they?  
It would have been disastrous.

**Bucky choked on his own saliva.**

BUCKY

Do you want something to drink?  
How are you feeling?

LOKI (dry)

Interested.  
In the answer to my question.

**Bucky got up and went for a backpack he'd brought.**   
**He took out two silver bottles with nothing written on. They looked like label-less beer bottles.**   
**Loki couldn't believe he was actually being offered a drink.**

**Bucky opened one for himself and the other for Loki, who didn't even acknowledge its existence.**

BUCKY (mid drinking)

Why did you ask that?

LOKI

How bad was it?

BUCKY

Did you know that the scepter you carried for quite some time here on Earth contained the Mind Stone?

LOKI

What?

BUCKY

That's how he found you, Vision.  
Somehow you had contact with many of the Stones at some point, so that made you sort of... _traceable_ to him.  
But we can get into the details later.

LOKI

Wait.  
Were there any more Stones involved? The Tesseract?  
Asgard?

BUCKY

Did you know the scepter came from Thanos?

LOKI

Yes, but I never actually met him.

BUCKY (sighing)

Loki... Thanos gathered _all_ of the Infinity Stones.  
In one place...

LOKI (suspicious)

No, he didn't. That's impossible.  
No one could have.  
Asgard, almost fell into chaos when the Aether was brought in while we guarded the Tesseract.  
Many have tried to forge fake Stones, though.  
I wouldn't fall for whatever Thanos claimed.

BUCKY

Thanos gathered all of the _real_ Stones.

LOKI

So he must have gone to Asgard.

BUCKY

Yes...  
Asgard... fell, it was destroyed.

**Loki was completely shocked, he couldn't even breathe.  
But had that job to do, so he soldiered on.**

BUCKY

Look, your brother made it.  
And he was able to lead most of the people out.  
They live right here... on Earth.

LOKI

In this Wakanda?

BUCKY

No, quite far away... but here nonetheless.

LOKI (looking down)

What about Odin?

BUCKY

He's... dead.

**Loki punched the wall beside him.**   
**Bucky squeezed his eyes shut as if he'd taken that punch himself.**

LOKI (angry)

Tell me _everything_.  
 _Now_.

BUCKY

Thanos took most of his army to Asgard to get the Tesseract. Your father fell, as did many of his men.  
Because of that, some sort of _sister_ of yours turned up, kicked Thanos out, but unfortunately, he'd already succeeded in taking the Tesseract.

LOKI

A _sister_?

BUCKY

Apparently Odin was keeping her away because she was dangerous, and she wanted to subjugate the whole... kingdom.

LOKI

Realm.

BUCKY

So Thor had to unleash the Ragnarok upon her, after she had banned him and he'd made it back.

LOKI (sinking)

THE RAGNAROK?

BUCKY

Look, man, I don't really...

LOKI

Go on!

BUCKY

Everything was destroyed, completely pulverized, sister and all.  
Thor made it out with everybody he could save and exiled them here.  
He even managed to send The Hulk ahead to warn us about Thanos.

LOKI

The _Hulk_ was on Asgard?  
And why would Thanos be coming here??

BUCKY

Because the Time Stone was here.

LOKI (overwhelmed)

And The Aether? What you might know as the Reality Stone.  
It must have been here too after Jane...

BUCKY

The Reality Stone was taken from a collector's shop on some other planet...  
I can get you the names and details later, I'm sorry, I'm just...

LOKI

Malekith.

BUCKY

The planet's name is Malekith?

LOKI

No, that's who had the Aether the last time I saw it.  
He was heading to Earth, so how did it end up on another...  
How long ago was this?

BUCKY

I would say 10 years ago.  
All I know is that when Thanos knew where all the stones were, he took one by one as fast as he could, and it wasn't long before it all happened.

**Loki stopped for a moment, looked right into Bucky's eyes realizing the worst part was yet to come and asked:**

LOKI

James, what did Thanos do with the Infinity Stones?

BUCKY (bitterly)

He... used them to completely _off_ half of the universe.  
Just... randomly.

**Loki just kept starring at Bucky.  
He couldn't muster anything, so he took a sip from the silver bottle Bucky had opened for him and drank whatever that was.**

**Bucky stood up, walked around briefly to calm himself down, and said:**

BUCKY

He said, and did he talk _a lot_... that it was the only way life could go on, the only way there would be enough resources in the universe.

LOKI

So that's where we're at now...

BUCKY

I'm sorry?

LOKI

Why I'm here, printed by the... machine and this... Vision entity.  
You're trying to get the stones back.

BUCKY (laughing)

Oh no, no, no.  
That was taken care of _years_ ago!

**Loki could not understand Bucky's relief and remained quiet.**

BUCKY

I mean...  
I vanished too!  
Shuri did!  
We're back already.

LOKI (highly doubtful)

So you managed to take _Infinity Stones_ away from Thanos?

BUCKY

No. It was impossible.  
He destroyed them.

LOKI

Then how...

**Bucky sat back down, feeling lighter.**

BUCKY

So Thanos controlled the stones with this metal gauntlet he had made specially for them.  
Each had its little slot.  
And he snapped, just _snapped_ , everybody away.

**Loki just starred.  
Bucky seemed to enjoy telling this part. He was also slightly drunk.**

BUCKY

So after he... accomplished, he destroyed the stones _with_ _the stones themselves_ and ended up frying up half of his body.  
The guys, Avenger guys, found him, killed him. Your brother did, actually.  
But that was it, people were still gone.  
Cut to 5 years later: an opportunity presents itself for the remaining Avengers to reassemble AND...

LOKI

And...

BUCKY

Sorry, I wasn't here for this, so I get excited about this part. To me it's like a fairy tale.  
A futuristic... fucked up fairy tale...

**Loki was about to intervene on Bucky's dramatic pause.**

BUCKY

THEY WENT BACK IN TIME.  
They took the stones from different places and times, gathered them in a gauntlet made by Stark and snapped people _back.  
_ AND  
Afterward, they took the stones back to where they'd taken them.  
And _that_ was 5 years ago.

LOKI (skeptic)

Excuse me if I'm having a hard time with this part.  
What I could keep up with at least...  
But I must admit some things in my own recent life are starting to add up as you talk.

BUCKY (curious)

Like what?

LOKI

Where were the stones taken from in the past?  
And when.  
And who took each of them?

BUCKY

Well, keep up now.  
Your brother and the raccoon went to Asgard to get the Reality Stone.

_**My brother took a raccoon to Asgard...?** _

BUCKY

Nebula and Rhodey brought back the Power Stone from space, Nat and Clint too, the Soul Stone.

**Loki's heart raced when he heard that last part.**

LOKI

And where exactly is _space_ , James?

BUCKY

Names of planets later, man.  
Focus.

LOKI (eye rolling)

Go on...

BUCKY

Hulk got the Time Stone in New York, as well as Cap, Tony and Scott got the scepter from you actually.  
But the Tesseract didn't actually make it out of the building because you vanished away with it.  
So Cap and Tony had to back up even further, to the...

LOKI

I DID WHAT?

BUCKY

They messed up the events and you managed to get hold of the Tesseract before they did.  
So they went back a few more decades and got it from the military base where...

LOKI

James! Are you saying that a version of me vanished with the Tesseract?  
Did anything happen afterward? Did I ever turn up?

BUCKY

No, they always figured things went back to normal.

LOKI

Or maybe _they_ just didn't want to think about it.  
If they took the stones and put them back, whatever I took that day wasn't put back, so there was a future without the Power Stone in it...  
It never made it back to Asgard and... I never made it back to Asgard!

**_And if I never made it back then_ \- Loki continued on his thoughts - _there's a version of me under the influence of the scepter and in possession of The Tesseract that managed to escape years ago._**

**_And at the same time, this current version of me was escorted back to Asgard and started to hear voices that forced upon me to live a time that's neither my past or future and that I shared with a woman that doesn't seem to recall it.  
And now I know that it probably wasn't this me with this her... I've made a fool of myself..._**

**_And there's probably a version of me who went back to Asgard undercover after Thor saw me die in Svartalfheim, like I intended, who probably participated in the Ragnarok. Maybe even prevented Odin's death.  
_ **

**_But which me, if not these 3, have been with Natasha all along?_ **

**_My priorities are wildly different within each version of me..._ **

**_Maybe I should stop solving problems by dying._ **

**Loki looked up at Bucky and realized he had been starring for some time.**

LOKI

Is there anything else you'd like to tell me, James?


End file.
